Complexification of gauge theories

DOI10.1016/0393-0440(94)00053-0MaRDI QIDQ679522zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors João Nuno Tavares, Renate Loll, José M. Mourão

Publication date 6 January 1999

Published in Journal of Geometry and Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/9307142, https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/7503

complexification constraints gauge theory phase space

Special connections and metrics on vector bundles (Hermite-Einstein, Yang-Mills) (53C07) Generalized coordinates; event, impulse-energy, configuration, state, or phase space for problems in mechanics (70G10) Yang-Mills and other gauge theories in quantum field theory (81T13)

Abstract: For the case of a first-class constrained system with an equivariant momentum map, we study the conditions under which the double process of reducing to the constraint surface and dividing out by the group of gauge transformations

G

is equivalent to the single process of dividing out the initial phase space by the complexification

G_{C}

of

G

. For the particular case of a phase space action that is the lift of a configuration space action, conditions are found under which, in finite dimensions, the physical phase space of a gauge system with first-class constraints is diffeomorphic to a manifold imbedded in the physical configuration space of the complexified gauge system. Similar conditions are shown to hold in the infinite-dimensional example of Yang-Mills theories. As a physical application we discuss the adequateness of using holomorphic Wilson loop variables as (generalized) global coordinates on the physical phase space of Yang-Mills theory.

Review text

Consider a Hamiltonian system with symmetry group \(G\). Just by counting dimensions, it is reasonable to suspect that restricting to the constraint surface and dividing out by the action of \(G\) is somehow equivalent to dividing out the initial phase space by an action of the complexification \(G_{\mathbb C}\) of \(G\). The authors first show that there is a suitable formulation of this rough statement in which this suspicion is valid. Their real motivation, however, is an infinite-dimensional version of the same idea where \(G\) is the gauge group of some real gauge theory. After a careful analysis of several illustrative finite-dimensional cases, they prove the main result for Yang-Mills theories with compact structure group. The Ashtekar variables of general relativity can also be viewed in the same framework. This is a rigorous and well-written paper.

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